Resiliency fuels Ravens' drive to goal

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Who knows if the Baltimore Ravens are the best team left in the NFL playoff field? Based on the point spread in Sunday's AFC Championship Game — New England is a 9-point favorite — they might be the worst.

But perception is not reality in this case. The Ravens have something going for them that can't be quantified.

Baltimore is the league's most resilient team.

None of the remaining survivors has fought through more injuries, adversity and even tragedy. None has overcome more to win games that seemed hopelessly lost.

“There are challenges that get you to the point that you are at as a football team and make you who you are,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh told reporters this week. “Our guys have handled all those things extremely well. Individually, a lot of our guys … have come out of it stronger and better men, and we're a stronger and better team.”

The strength of the Ravens' character was evident throughout Saturday's divisional-round upset at Denver, where they trailed, 7-0, 21-14, 28-21 and 35-28. That's where things stood with 1 minute, 9 seconds remaining, the ball at the Baltimore 23-yard line and the Ravens out of timeouts.

You know what happened next: On third-and-3, with the clocking ticking, Joe Flacco connected with Jacoby Jones for a 70-yard miracle. The Ravens went on to win, 38-35, in double overtime, knocking off the AFC's No. 1 seed, a team that hadn't lost in more than three months.

The really crazy thing is it might not have been their most unfathomable victory.

Seven weeks earlier, Baltimore faced a 13-10 deficit with 1:59 to play at San Diego. The Ravens needed to gain 29 yards on fourth down from their 37 to have a chance. Ray Rice gained 30. Two Justin Tucker field goals later, Baltimore had a 16-13 triumph.

“Even in the games that we lost, we never laid down for anyone,” receiver Torrey Smith said. “We continued to fight, and that's just how we are and who we are as Ravens.”

Smith caught a 31-yard pass that set up the field goal that beat the Chargers. He torched 12-time Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey for 59- and 32-yard touchdowns last week. Smith came up clutch under challenging circumstances. But were they compared to what he previously endured?

The first time the Ravens faced the Patriots this season, in Week 3, Smith played less than 24 hours after his younger brother died in a motorcycle accident. He caught six passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns in Baltimore's 31-30, come-from-behind victory. Being with his teammates provided the salve Smith needed to get through a trying time.

“We all just understand that we're a family here,” defensive tackle Haloti Ngata said, “and we can lean on each other and depend on each other.”

Harbaugh and Rice literally leaned on each other as Tucker lined up for the would-be winning field goal against Denver. Crouching side by side, they watched the kick split the uprights. Harbaugh then kissed Rice on the right temple.

After the game, Harbaugh read to the team a text message sent by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, who was unable to be there because of the flu. He sent the text to Harbaugh when the score was 35-28. It read, in part: “Win or lose I am so proud of the team and so proud of you.”

“He is a great leader,” Harbaugh said later. “Our players love him. He is an inspiration to all of our guys. To me, this organization, he sets the tone here.”

Well, Bisciotti and a certain Hall of Fame-bound linebacker.

The face, voice, heart and soul of the Ravens is Ray Lewis, who has inspired his teammates in so many ways. On the eve of the playoffs, the 17-year veteran and last remaining original Raven announced he would retire upon their conclusion. That ending hasn't arrived yet. It might not be a coincidence.

“I think every individual has worked a little bit harder,” Ngata said, “just (knowing) that we probably will never be in this situation again.”

Lewis is playing with a bulky black brace on his right arm to protect a partially torn triceps. He missed more than half the season because of the injury. He didn't miss a snap the past two weeks — 188 in all — the brace serving as armor for a gladiator. (“Gladiator,” by the way, is one of Lewis' favorite movies.)

Lewis isn't the only Raven playing with a damaged wing.

Fellow linebacker Terrell Suggs — the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year — has had a torn right biceps since early December. He already was on the mend from a torn Achilles' tendon suffered in May that was supposed to keep him out for the season. Suggs returned Oct. 21 from that injury — the week after Lewis got hurt. The two didn't play in a game together until the playoffs. They probably shouldn't be playing at all.

But Lewis and Suggs are Ravens. That's just how they are and who they are.

“We are definitely battle-tested, and I think it starts at the top with our leaders,” Smith said.

“Everyone's a fighter, everyone has heart. When you have leaders like we have on our team, it is hard to not want to follow them and be a fighter and never throw the towel in.

“We have been through it all — whether on the field or off the field — and we became stronger for it. Our coaches always say, ‘Iron sharpens iron,' and I think we are definitely a testament to that.”

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